Facing the truth
by bonesgadh
Summary: After finding Luke Skywalker in the aquatic planet of Ahch-To, Rey begins her training to become a Jedi. Rey has accepted her role as one of the Resistance's last hopes against the First Order, but she still dreams of discovering the truth about her origins and the reason why she was abandoned in Jakku.Unknown to her, her nemesis Kylo Ren possesses the answers to all her questions.
1. A force vision

**A/N: I've been a _Star Wars_ fan since I was five years old. After I saw _The Force Awakens_ I went crazy with all the theories and speculations surrounding it (but let's be fair, who didn't?) Anyway, I've been crafting this story in my head for three weeks, and I finally decided to write it for people to read it. It features my own personal ideas and theories. Please leave your reviews and feel free to tell me if you like it or not. I hope you enjoy it :)**

* * *

Rey had been training with Luke Skywalker for over two months when she had a Force vision. The only time she had experienced one before was at Maz Kanata's palace, after she touched the blue lightsaber that had belonged to her master —and his father before him. She had seen things she had never seen before, and she had been particularly traumatized by the image of her nemesis, Kylo Ren, slaughtering an unknown man right in front of her. She was also surprised to see herself as a little girl after being abandoned in Jakku, especially since the exact details of the event were blurry to her. Rey wasn't exactly sure of what had detonated the vision in the first place, but she wished them to never repeat themselves again.

Unfortunately for her, it all changed one rainy afternoon while she gave maintenance to the _Falcon_ with Chewbacca.

"I don't know how this ship has survived so many battles. Chewie, handle me the screwdriver," she told her Wookie companion, to which he growled in return. "Well, then go outside and retrieve it." He protested, and Rey rolled her eyes. "I don't care if it's raining, we have to fix this door before it falls on our heads!" The Wookie kept uttering. "Because I still have to put some tape on these cables, otherwise we will lose power in a few minutes."

Chewie growled one last time, and exited the ship. Rey sighed and cut a large piece of tape, and carefully wrapped a few yellow cables with it. Being the expert mechanic she was, she wasn't afraid of provoking a short circuit in the ship or electrocuting herself. In fact, after living in Jakku for almost twenty years, there wasn't a thing left in the galaxy that could scare her.

"One more piece right here, and… done." She blew at the old cables and contemplated them for a few seconds. Satisfied with the result, she stood up and shook the dust off her clothes. She walked towards the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat, and began cleaning the _Falcon_ 's multiple panels and consoles. However, she stopped to contemplate the pouring rain that was falling outside the ship.

Rey loved rain. It helped her clear her mind and it relaxed her when she was nervous. It never rained in Jakku, and she usually thought about how many wonderful natural phenomenons she had missed while waiting for her family in the isolated planet.

She closed her eyes and let the Force flow through her. With Luke, she had learned to control her power and to use it properly, and to canalize her energy into contemplation and long periods of meditation. She had grown extremely powerful in a relatively short period of time, something that had greatly surprised her master.

Rey was beginning to concentrate when she felt an electric shock running through her body, which made her to quickly open her eyes. However, when she did, she wasn't in the _Falcon_ anymore. Instead, she found herself surrounded by the all-too familiar dunes of Jakku.

* * *

 _Confused and disoriented, she blinked a few times and squinted at her surroundings. For a moment, she feared she had just woken up from a dream. A little girl screaming behind her quickly brought her back to reality._

 _"Please, come back!"_

 _Rey turned, but the screaming girl was nowhere to be found. Then, she saw a ship taking off in the distance and ran toward it, but the sand quickly disappeared below her feet. She fell face first into the ground and into a whole new environment, this time the interior of what seemed like a small freighter. The room was dark and the air was musty, and the smell made Rey nauseous. She stood up and walked a few steps toward the cockpit, and caught a glimpse of a slug-like figure sitting in the copilot's seat._

 _"Now what?" The creature asked the man that was piloting the ship._

 _"Now we go and deliver the charge."_

 _"I hope the reward is as big as they promised us."_

 _"He will remember this forever." The pilot spoke with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Every single day of his miserable life. That will be my greatest reward."_

 _Rey tried to enter the cockpit, but once again her surroundings changed and, suddenly, she found herself in a dark room. She couldn't see a thing, and desperately tried to find any source of light. Then, out of nowhere, she heard a voice that seemed to come out from her own head._

 _"The force is unusually strong with her. She will be very powerful, you have to be careful."_

 _Although the man's voice sounded vaguely familiar, Rey was unable to link it to someone in particular. However, after a few seconds in complete darkness, she finally saw a face she did recognize._

 _Han Solo._

 _Rey couldn't believe her eyes. It was definitely him, although he seemed much younger than she remembered._

 _"Han! Han!" She tried to call him, but the smuggler didn't even notice her. She walked towards him, but just when she was about to reach his face, Chewbacca's hairy hand pulled her away from her vision._


	2. Back to base

Bewildered by what she had seen, Rey shook her head a few times. Chewie growled with concern, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"I'm okay, Chewie, it was just a dream." The Wookie clearly didn't believe her, and kept grunting. "You don't have to call Master Luke, I'm _okay_. I'm telling you, I was dreaming! I fell asleep while cleaning the console, and I had a nightmare." More roars came out from the creature's mouth. "Chewie, the only reason why you heard me scream was because I got scared and a little confused, that's all!" She tried to reassure him, but it was pointless; the Wookie wasn't having any of it and kept protesting. Rey was thankful that there was someone in the galaxy who cared so much about her, but she wished Chewie weren't as insistent as he was.

She sighed, defeated. "Fine, I'll tell him tonight. If it makes you feel better, I'll do it. Just promise me you won't worry anymore, okay?" Chewie nodded. "Now, let me go fix the door." He released Rey from his grip and she exited the cockpit.

 _Why did I have another vision?_ Rey asked herself as she absentmindedly walked through the old freighter. _Maybe I concentrated a little bit too much._

Once she reached the old door she began repairing it, but her mind was far away from there.

 _It felt so real, so… tangible. Even more than the previous one._

She tried to free herself from all the things she had seen, without success. Getting rid of the image of Han Solo's face was proving to be particularly difficult, and Rey didn't wonder why. Although she had only met him for a couple of days, she had grown very fond of the old smuggler. So much, that she thought of him as the father she never had. Rey couldn't explain it, but there was something about Han that had caught her attention from the beginning. Maybe it had been how much they had in common, or the legend surrounding his name, or something else. The only thing Rey was certain of was that she wished she had spent more time with Han, and she regretted not accepting his offer of joining him and Chewie as a second mate.

Sadly, she thought, their lives were meant to follow very different paths.

* * *

Luke Skywalker was a mysterious man. Rey had noticed there was more to him than meets the eye, and the time she had spent with him had confirmed her suspicions. Although kind and generous, the Jedi Master was always deep in thought. Rey could perceive a trace of melancholy covered his words whenever he spoke, and his eyes seemed to be those of a man who had seen and suffered too much through his life.

Rey constantly wondered what was inside the man's mind, but right now she had other concerns. While standing in front of her master, the young woman was struggling to order her thoughts and express them the best possible way.

Her struggle didn't go unnoticed by Luke, who set his inquisitive eyes on his apprentice.

"You had a vision?" He calmly asked her.

"Yes."

"When?"

"This afternoon."

"What did you see?"

"I was in Jakku, on the day I was left there. I could hear myself screaming in the distance. Then, I was in the interior of a small ship, a freighter. I heard some voices coming out from the cockpit so I tried to get closer, but I didn't see the pilot. Suddenly, the whole room went dark and I couldn't see a thing. That's when Chewie arrived and pulled me out from the vision."

"Anything else?"

She doubted for a second before answering the question. "I saw Han Solo. He was younger than he was when I met him, but it was definitely him."

If surprised, Luke didn't show it. Rey knew he and Han used to be good friends in the past, before the Jedi went into exile.

"I see." He simply said.

"Master, those things I saw, are they real?" She eagerly asked him. "Did they really happen, or are they just a product of my imagination?"

The Jedi Master stroke his long beard, pensive.

"I don't know, Rey." He finally said. "I'd be lying if I told you I do. But there's one thing I'm certain of: it's not common for a Jedi to see the past, but you have the ability to do so. When you had your first vision, everything you saw had happened years before. It speaks of how powerful the Force is with you."

Although flattered, Rey wasn't pleased with Luke's answer, and she considered it would be unwise to make another question. However, her curiosity was too big and she had too many doubts.

"Why did I see Han?"

"Well, as I told you in one of your first lessons, through the Force you can see old friends long gone. I understand you two became close."

"Yes, we did."

"Although it was for a short time, he became very important to you. There's nothing unusual in you seeing him."

Rey considered her Master's words, and his explanation satisfied her.

"But what should I do about the visions?"

Suddenly, his expression turned serious.

"I recommend you to be careful, Rey. Force visions can be a useful tool, but don't let them torment you. Don't be afraid of them, don't allow them to influence your actions. Remember that we can't change the past, we can only accept it, and that the future is always in motion."

Rey nodded a couple of times, much more calmed than she was before. "Thank you, Master."

"Now, I have something very important to tell you." Luke said, in a lighter tone. "I think it's time for you to return to the base."

The girl looked at him with surprise. "You want me to go back with the Resistance?"

"That is correct."

"Why? I mean, isn't it too soon? I've only been here for two months!"

"I trained with Obi Wan and Yoda for a few days. Believe me, you are ready."

Luke's attitude was making Rey confused.

"I thought Jedi apprentices trained with their masters for years."

"That was in the days of the Old Republic, I'm afraid a few things have changed since then. I've already taught you everything I know, what you need now is to reinforce what you have learned."

"So that means… I'm a Jedi?" She said, holding her breath.

"You still have to face the Trials, but that's why I'm sending you back. As you become involved in battles, you will have many opportunities to face them." Noticing the girl's distress, Luke immediately tried to reassure her. "It's not going to be easy, but the Force is strong with you, and you'll only grow more powerful with time. Don't be afraid, Rey. I trust you."

Although she was scared, Rey tried her best to not show it. Her master trusted her and he was confident she was ready to face any challenge that may arise, and that made her feel proud of herself.

"Alright, Master. I'll do as you say."


	3. Until next time

Ahch-To was paradise if compared to the disgusting, filthy hole that was the planet in which Rey had grown up. She knew she was going to miss living there, she loved seeing the ocean every day and enjoyed hearing the waves hitting the rocks and the birds flying above her head. However, Rey was aware she was needed someplace else.

She was busy packing the last of her few belongings when she heard Luke approaching her.

"Are you ready to go, Rey?" He asked her.

"Almost." She answered, as she hung her staff to her back. "Aren't you coming, Master?"

Although she already knew the answer to that question, she still felt the need to ask.

"No, Rey. I'm afraid it's not the right time yet. But it won't be long now, I assure you."

"It's okay, but what am I supposed to tell the General?"

"You leave Leia to me, I can handle my own sister. She'll understand my reasons for being away for so long."

Rey wondered why he was so sure of that. She didn't know the General as well as he did, but she came to her as the kind of woman who wasn't easy to convince.

"Alright. Well, I guess that would be all," she said, not sure of how to bid farewell to her master.

"Hold on, you are forgetting something." Luke reached for an object at his belt, and handed it to her. It was his old lightsaber, the one Rey knew too well. "Or were you going to leave it behind on purpose?"

Rey stared at the weapon for a few seconds. "I can't, I'm sorry."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not mine, it's yours."

"It chose you, it doesn't belong to me anymore. Besides, I already have a lightsaber, while you don't. It's my gift to you."

"But master—"

"I won't take no for an answer." He firmly said. "Go on, take it."

Rey nodded, and took the lightsaber in her hands.

"Thank you. I will take care of it."

"I know you will." He said, and smiled. Rey realized she had never seen him smile before. "Well, I'm afraid this is goodbye for now, but we'll see each other again very soon. In the meantime, don't forget what you have learned. It can save you in a difficult situation."

"I won't forget it, I promise."

"Take care of yourself, Rey. And may the force be with you."

"You too, master. Until next time."

She gave Luke a quick goodbye hug. Then, she walked away from him and into the _Falcon_ , where Chewie and R2 were already waiting for her.

"Artoo, contact the Resistance. Tell them that we are on our way and we need them to send us their coordinates."

A confirming beep indicated Rey the droid had understood her command, and he began transmitting the message to the Resistance's headquarters.

"Chewie, let's get ready for takeoff while Artoo establishes contact."

The Wookie growled and activated several controls, and the ship slowly came to life. Then, R2 began beeping loudly from his spot in the cockpit. Rey looked at him and then at Chewie, visibly surprised.

"That can't be right. What do you mean they are still stationed in D'Qar?" More beeps came from the droid. "The First Order knows they're there. Why wouldn't they relocate?" Chewie growled with disgust. Rey sighed and shook her head. "Let's not worry, I'm sure it all has a perfectly logical explanation. Let's go."

Rey punched the control that would lift them off and the _Falcon_ soared into the bright blue sky of Ahch-To, as the lonely figure of Luke Skywalker watched them from the ground.

He wasn't alone for long, though, as a ghostly figure appeared beside him.

"You have done a good job. She has become very powerful."

"Indeed."

"I'm surprised you haven't told her the truth."

"There's no need to rush things up. Besides, it'll be better if she discovers everything by herself."

"When the time comes, do you think she will be ready to do what is expected of her?"

"I hope so. After all, she's the only one who can do it."


	4. The base

**A/N: Hello. I'm sorry for being absent for almost a month, but I've been very busy with college.** **I hope you like the chapter :)**

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D'Qar had become the Resistance's main center of operations since its creation. The planet's native vegetation consisted of beautiful trees and large areas of grass that helped camouflage hangars and some of the structures that had been built there, and most of the activity was hidden from above. It had been the home of a small Alliance outpost after the Battle of Endor, and it fit the profile for a hidden base.

Rey landed the _Falcon_ in one of the hangars, and she, Chewie and R2 emerged from the ship as soon as all the engines had been turned off. They were greeted by a small group of people, among whom was General Leia Organa, the leader of the Resistance. Rey walked directly toward her, and they embraced. There was something about the older woman that made Rey feel secure while being held in her arms. They were firm and strong, and nobody had ever embraced Rey like that.

"Welcome, my child. It's so good to see you again," Leia told her. Although she seemed happy to see her again, Rey quickly noticed a trace of disappointment in her eyes. "I thought Luke was going to come back with you."

"He refused to come. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

"Did he say why he decided to stay?"

"No, but he said you'll understand his reasons for being away for so long." Leia frowned, which mortified Rey. "I really tried to make him change his mind," she said, visibly anxious.

"I believe you, but sometimes even I can't understand my own brother." Leia walked out of the hangar, and Rey quickly followed her. "I often wonder what's inside his mind."

"I'm glad to know I'm not the only one."

"Why did he send you back? Isn't it too soon?"

"That's what I thought as well, but he said I'm ready to face the Trials."

Leia stopped walking, and turned to face Rey with curiosity. She didn't say anything, though, and she soon continued her path.

"I just hope things don't get too complicated for us in the meantime," she simply said.

Rey thought it was the perfect time to ask the question that had been bugging her since she left Ahch-To.

"General, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why is the Resistance still stationed in D'Qar?"

Leia sighed, as if she were expecting the question. "Some of the commanders didn't believe it was necessary to move the base someplace else."

" _Not necessary?_ The First Order knows we are here, we are in danger."

"Colonel Bruss doesn't consider them to be a real treat to our safety —not now, at least. Not since what happened to Starkiller Base."

"But that's absurd!" Rey exclaimed, incredulous. "They obviously have plenty of more troops and weapons, they could attack us on any second!"

"Your concern is _my_ concern, Rey, but unfortunately Bruss is not the only commander that believes that. For now, my hands are tied."

"Can't you make the decision to relocate the base yourself?"

"I'm afraid not. That kind of decision has to be voted."

Rey could clearly notice how impotent the General felt. She had seen first-hand the destruction of her own planet, and she had fought against the Empire on multiple battles. She had been captured and tortured, and Rey had no doubt she knew what was best for the Resistance.

"However, I took some precautions." The General continued.

"Oh?"

"I've sent a small delegation of pilots to Rori, one of the moons of Naboo, to explore and check if it would be a good location for a new base."

"Did you?" Rey said, with surprise.

"There used to be a city there years ago, but it was abandoned. I hope it stays that way."

"Well, I just hope nothing bad happens that will force us to move prematurely."

"Me too."

In that moment, Rey heard a very familiar voice screaming her name in the distance.

"Rey! Rey!"

She turned, and her heart skipped a beat when she recognized the man that was running toward her.

"Finn!"

They embraced, as two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"It's so good to see you!"

"You too, I feel like it's been ages. You look great!"

Finn had apparently recovered from the injuries he had sustained when he battled Kylo Ren, and he looked better than Rey remembered.

"Thank you, although not as good as you. I've missed you so much."

"We are together again, huh?"

"Wouldn't miss it." He said, with a smile. "I thought I wouldn't see you in months. What happened? Why are you back so soon?"

"It's a long story, pal."

Finn suddenly realized the General was standing there as well.

"Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted your conversation." He said, a little ashamed. "I'll look for you later, Rey. We have a lot of catching up to do!"

"Definitely." Rey said, with a smile. Finn walked away, and she and the General resumed their walk in silence.

"Your friend is a brave warrior." Leia said, after a while.

"He is." Rey said, proudly. "How has he adapted to the base?"

"Very well, actually. He's been training to become a pilot and a gunner."

"That's great!" Rey exclaimed. "Finn is a quick learner, he will be an expert sooner than you think."

"We assigned him to work under Poe's orders, he's the one that has been training him."

"Poe… Dameron? Beebee-Ate's master?" Rey asked, a little confused.

"The same. I didn't know you two had met."

"We did, before I left." The pilot's face slowly materialized in Rey's mind. "Although it was a little awkward, to say the least."

"What happened?"

"We hugged after Artoo revealed the missing part of the map. I didn't know who he was, and neither did he. It was... odd. He seemed like a nice man, though."

She didn't mention how attractive she had found him.

"Well, I hope you two become good friends. I have known him since he was a little boy, and he is a fine and brave man."

"I got that impression."

"Oh, speaking of which…" Leia said, as she spotted the young pilot walking toward them. He was wearing his orange uniform with the white flight vest, and his dark hair was tousled from wearing a helmet. He smiled at the two women once he was beside them.

"General Organa." He saluted Leia, and she responded with a silent bow. Then, he set his eyes on the young woman. "It's good to see you again, Rey. Welcome back."

"It's good to see you too, Poe," she said, not sure if they were supposed to shake hands after their awkward first met. Apparently he read her mind, and immediately held out his hand to her. She shook it and a shy smile appeared on her face.

"I don't know what you did for my droid back in Jakku, but he can't stop talking about how wonderful you are. I hope we get to know each other better, and become friends."

"I'm looking forward to it as well, and also seeing Beebee-Ate again."

"He's working on the ship, but I'll send it to you as soon as he's done."

"That would be very kind of you."

Although Rey considered herself to be quite eloquent, she was having some trouble with finding the right words to express her thoughts.

"General," Poe was now talking to Leia, "Colonel Bruss wants to see you."

"Did he say why?"

"Apparently for some sort of meeting. I'm not sure, General."

Leia grumbled with disgust. Rey was surprised to hear her make that kind of sound, the General didn't seem like the kind of woman who showed her dislike for another person in such an obvious way. She clearly hated him, Rey thought.

"Rey, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you for now. I've been walking on eggshells with Bruss for a while now, I don't want things to get out of control."

"Don't worry about me, General, I'll be okay." Rey reassured her. "I'll just explore the base, if you don't mind."

"Please, do. I want you to get familiarized with how we run things here."

"Finn and I can show her later, General." Poe quickly volunteered.

"That would be a good idea. Do you agree, Rey?"

"Of course." She said, trying to hide her delight. "We can get to know ourselves better, like you said."

It had sounded kind of flirty, although it hadn't been Rey's intention.

"It's settled, then. We'll find you after the meeting is done."

"Well, we better be going." Leia interrupted them. "Our conversation is not over, Rey." She gently squeezed the young woman's arm and walked away, followed closely by Poe.

* * *

 **A/N: As you know, Poe and Rey don't interact in TFA. However, in the novelized version of the movie, they meet and, like I mentioned before, share an awkward hug.** **You can look it up on the internet.**


	5. A dangerous presence

After the meeting was over, Poe went looking for Rey. He went straight to the _Falcon_ , as he thought it was unlikely she had gone someplace else as she had just arrived to the base. However, when Poe entered the old ship, he found Chewbacca cleaning the cockpit all by himself.

"Oh, hi Chewbacca!" He greeted him. "I'm looking for Rey, have you seen her?" Chewie growled his response, which disconcerted Poe. "You haven't seen her since you arrived?" He wasn't very fluent in _Shyriiwook_ , the Wookie language, but he was able to understand most it. Chewie nodded, and grunted some more. "She _was_ with the General, but we had to go to a meeting. Don't you have any idea of where she might be?"

Chewie's response wasn't exactly positive, and Poe didn't have a clue of where to find Rey. He thanked the Wookie and exited the _Falcon_ , and went to the hangars to see if the young woman was exploring the surroundings. Finn and BB-8 had told him Rey was a very good pilot, so maybe she was checking out the X-Wings. She wasn't there, though, and Poe was starting to feel frustrated.

 _She doesn't even know the base that well_. _There are not a lot of places where she could be_.

Well, there were _other_ places, like the forest and the nearby lake, but Poe didn't think Rey would go somewhere unknown on her first day back. However, he was running out of options, so he walked deep into the forest.

He finally found her near the lake, a beautiful but isolated place where no one ever went. She was sitting on the grass with her eyes closed, and she seemed to be heavily concentrated. Her quarterstaff was right behind her, leaning against a tree. A bunch of medium sized rocks were moving around her body, and Poe guessed she was the one manipulating them. Poe didn't want to interrupt her, so he stayed a few feet away from her. He contemplated the young woman in complete silence, paying close attention to what she was doing with the rocks. Without opening her eyes, Rey carefully placed the rocks on the ground, and she accommodated them until they were perfectly stacked.

 _How talented_ , he said to himself, captivated by Rey's abilities, _I wish I could do stuff like that_.

"Hello, Poe," she greeted him, after every rock was on its place. She still had her eyes closed, and Poe wondered how she had found out he was there if he hadn't made any noises.

"Oh, hi," he said, as she slowly opened her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"On the contrary. I need to be able to do this even with distractors, so you actually helped me." She said, and smiled.

 _She has a nice smile, too._

"Well, I'm glad."

"Where's Finn?"

"He stayed with Almirant Ackbar, but he said he would join us to give you a tour around the base."

"I hope you have treated him nicely."

"We have, trust me." Poe reassured her, with a smile. "Finn is a dear friend, and a brave warrior. He saved me, I owe him a great deal."

"Okay. I'll trust you."

"Can I sit?"

"Yes, of course!"

He sat next to her on the ground, although he was careful not to invade her personal space.

"I'm surprised to find you here." He said, as they both contemplated the lake. "Nobody ever visits this place."

"Why not?"

"I guess we are all busy doing our own stuff, and these are difficult days. Our minds and attentions are set on other things, we don't have time to appreciate nature anymore."

Rey went quiet for a few seconds, probably weighing on his words.

"Sadly, I believe you are right." She finally said. "However, I don't think I could ever get used to seeing beautiful things. Not after living in Jakku for so many years."

Poe wanted to know more about Rey's background, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. Instead, he just kept contemplating the lake, immersed in his own thoughts.

"How was the meeting?" Rey asked him, after a moment in silence.

"Terrible."

"What happened?"

"Has the General told you anything about Colonel Bruss?"

"Oh, yes. He is the one who doesn't consider the First Order to be a treat because Starkiller Base was destroyed, right?"

"Right, which I think is a terrible error of judgement."

"So do I." Rey said, and shook her head. "What did he do this time?"

"He's beginning to get on the General's nerves. He constantly attacks her, he has no respect for her or for anyone. He spends most of his days criticizing the way the Resistance is being run. He is arrogant and reckless, besides an annoying piece of work. I don't understand how General Organa tolerates him."

"Well, why does she?"

"His mother was one of her closest friends and collaborators, a very respected figure in the Alliance. And the General would never get rid of a fellow officer just because she doesn't like him. Besides, he is a military genius. Very smart, very cunning." Poe sighed. "Even so, there's something about him that creeps me out. I don't know how to explain it."

"You don't have to, I perfectly understand what you mean." She reassured him. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how hard we try, there are certain people we will never like."

"I hope that doesn't happen between us."

Poe regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth, but surprisingly for him, Rey bursted out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"We've got off to a good start, so I wouldn't worry if I were you."

Encouraged by Rey's positive response to his rather awkward comment, Poe tried to say something else. However, when he was about to do it, Rey stopped laughing and her face turned grim. She quickly stood up and Poe did so as well, scared by her sudden change of attitude.

"What is it?" He asked her, trying to dissimulate his fear as she grabbed her quarterstaff. "What's wrong?"

"A disturbance in the Force."

"A disturbance... in the Force?" He mumbled. "What does that even mean?"

"A dangerous presence is approaching."

"Where?"

"I don't know. Shh!" She urged him to remain quiet, and he obeyed her. Rey began scrutinizing the sky, as if she were looking for something.

"I don't hear or see anything," he said, in a whisper.

"Do you have binoculars?" She asked him. He handed her his field quadnocs, which were permanently attached to his belt, and she climbed a nearby tree to have a better look of the surrounding locations. When she finally reached the higher branches, she used the quadnocs to examine the planet's blue sky.

"Can you see anything?" Poe asked her.

"Not…quite," she said, with frustration. "How do you use these things?"

"You have to adjust them. There's a little screw on the side, you have to—"

"Turn it, yes." She interrupted him. "Thank you, I got it."

She went quiet once again, and Poe kept an eye on her from the ground.

"Oh, no." She gasped, after a few seconds.

"What?"

"We are in serious trouble." She answered, and quickly descended the tree. Her face was all red and sweaty, and a trace of terror was covering her eyes. Poe's heart started pounding really hard and fast. "It's the First Order."

* * *

 **A/N: I would really appreciate if you could leave reviews, otherwise there's no way for me to know if you are enjoying my story or not, or to find out if I've made any mistakes :)**


	6. A surprise attack

"The First Order? _Here?_ " Poe exclaimed, terrified. "Are you sure?"

"I am," she said, visibly agitated.

"What _exactly_ did you see?"

"Five transports, several TIE Fighters. Approaching from the south," she answered, as she pointed in said direction. "They are still a few miles away but they are coming really fast, we must warn the others."

He nodded. Rey strapped her quarterstaff to her back and they both ran to base, leaving the lake and the forest behind.

* * *

Unlike the members of the old Rebel Alliance, those in the Resistance weren't used to surprise attacks or ambushes. They had ground troops, of course, but most of them had never taken part in a real battle before. By the time Rey and Poe reached the main hangars, the alarms had already been activated and chaos had taken over the place. Rey had never seen anything like that before, and she wasn't sure of what she was supposed to do.

She sighed with relief when she spotted the General coming out of the command center. Finn was walking a few feet behind her.

"General!" She exclaimed to gain her attention, and she and Poe ran toward her and Finn.

"Rey, Poe, we are in danger. Our radars have spotted enemy transports approaching from the south. Five transports and at least two dozen TIE Fighters." The General was clearly upset, although her ability to remain calm despite the circumstances surprised Rey.

"What do we do?" Rey asked her, trying not to show her fear.

"We have no choice but to try to repel the attack as best as we can, all ground troops and pilots are getting ready for the assault. Those who are unable to fight are being evacuated into the woods."

"We better get going. We have no time to lose!" Poe said, and disappeared into the crowd.

"What do you want us to do?" Finn asked Leia. Before she could answer, though, a blast came from the sky and shattered the ground around them, so much that some people lost their balance. The blast had come from a TIE fighter, one that had escaped the base's antiaereal canons.

"Protect the base!" She answered, before running back to the command center, leaving an anxious Finn and a preoccupied Rey to handle themselves.

"THE TRANSPORTS HAVE LANDED! ENEMY TROOPS ARE COMING!" Rey heard someone yelling at the distance, which only increased her nervousness. She immediately reached for the lightsaber on her belt, but the weapon wasn't there.

"Oh dear."

"What is it?"

"My lightsaber. I don't have it!"

"What do you mean you _don't_ have it?!" Finn exclaimed, with concern.

"I must have left it in the Falcon!"

"I'm going for it!" He said, and went out running at full speed.

"Finn, wait!" She tried to stop him, but in that moment, she heard blasts coming from behind her. She turned and saw at least twenty Stormtroopers at the distance, shooting at every single person that belonged to the Resistance.

Rey removed her LPA NN-14 blaster pistol from its holster and began firing at the Stormtroopers. She had become an excellent marksman, although she wasn't very keen on using a blaster as she preferred hand-on-hand combat. The blaster, a gift from Han Solo, was easy to use and, although small, had a very powerful blast. Six troopers were hit by her shots, but for each fallen trooper three were ready to take its place. Rey kept firing without stopping, and other Resistance members were returning enemy fire as well, but they were still being overwhelmed.

Suddenly, Rey's blaster was violently thrown from her hand, and landed far from her reach. A trooper had shot at the weapon but it had been a very precise blast, practically impossible for a common F-11D blaster to make. Rey scrutinized the ground, trying to locate the source of the shot. She finally found it, it had come from the roof of one of the hangars. The sniper was firing at Resistance members from atop, and no one had spotted him.

"THERE'S A SNIPER ON THE ROOF! WATCH OUT!" Rey tried to make herself heard, but it was hard to hear anything above the din of the battle. A few people heard her warning, and took cover. Rey, on the other hand, ran toward the hangar to stop the sniper.

She tucked and dodged the stormtroopers' shots on her way to the hangar. When she was by the main entrance she positioned herself just below where the sniper was. He was at least 33 feet away from her, but distance wasn't going to stop Rey. She concentrated and Force jumped, aiming at the sniper. While she was in the air, she took out her knife from her belt. She landed right behind the sniper and, as soon as he turned, she sliced his throat. Two other snipers appeared and aimed at Rey with their blasters, but she Force pushed them off the roof. A fourth sniper shot at Rey from behind, but she dived and threw her knife at his neck. She checked if there were other snipers in the surrounding buildings. Once she was sure there were none, she jumped to the ground and saw a more balanced combat between the Resistance members and the First Order troops.

Rey unstrapped her quarterstaff from her back and began delivering ferocious blows at the nearby troopers. Thanks to her training with the lightsaber, she had become even more deadly when wielding her old weapon. Troopers found themselves at the wrong end of her blows, and her movements were too quick for them. They were unable to aim at her, and her natural ability with her quarterstaff combined with her newfound Force powers made her an extremely difficult opponent to face. She Force pushed them away and threw rubble at them, and once they were disabled she gave them the final blow. She was surprised to spot the General a few feet away from her, firing at Stormtroopers with her blaster.

 _I didn't know she was such an excellent marksman_.

"Rey! REY!" She turned and saw Finn running toward her, carrying her lightsaber on his hands. Although he was fast, the distance between them was still quite big. He was relatively exposed and vulnerable, and Rey feared a trooper would notice and shot him.

"THROW IT!"

"WHAT?"

THROW IT!" She said, motioning at her friend. He obeyed and threw the hilt at her. Rey extended an arm toward the device, which twitched and flew toward her fingers. The weapon landed on her left hand, and she immediately activated it. The glowing blue blade of the lightsaber came to life, and Rey felt it vibrating in her grip. She lost no time and charged against the troopers around her.

After her fight with Kylo Ren, Rey hadn't been involved in an actual combat beyond her training with Luke. However, the lightsaber was a natural extension of her arm, and she wielded it around and stroke the Stormtroopers with impressive precision. Each shot from their blasters she deflected with the lightsaber's beam, and there was little they could do to stop that from happening. Finn was fighting beside her, aiming and shooting at his former comrades with deadly accuracy. He was also watching Rey's back in case she got distracted and a trooper tried to attack her from behind, and she was doing the same.

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, the enemy troops began to slowly loose the ground they had won thanks to their surprise attack. Because of the way they had been trained they never tried to evacuate, they kept fighting until they were either killed or captured. However, those in the air were not giving up. TIE Fighters and X-Wings soured into the sky, drawing circles around the clouds. Four X-Wings had been destroyed, while all the TIE Fighters remained intact. Rey was aware that the First Order pilots could do a lot of damage to the base, even without ground troops, and they could even destroy the command center if they bombed them.

Finn noticed that as well, and quickly stood beside Rey. "They are being overwhelmed. We gotta do something."

"I agree. Come on, let's go to the _Falcon_ ," she said, and they both ran to the old ship. Apparently, Chewie had thought the same thing, and he was already on board and on the co-pilot seat.

"Finn, take the— "

"The gunner position, I know!"

Rey punched several controls and the ship took off. Immediately, a bunch of TIE Fighters began firing at them. Chewie activated the shields and Finn fired back at them. Thanks to Rey's acrobatic maneuvers and his training, it was relatively easy for him to destroy the enemy fighters.

From the cockpit, Rey had a clear view of the aerial battle that was taking place. She saw Poe taking down two TIE Fighters, one after one, but she also saw three of them going straight toward his X-Wing.

"I have three Fighters on me!" Poe said through the central communicator. "I can't get them off!"

"Don't worry, we'll help you out!" Rey answered, and piloted the _Falcon_ in his direction. "Finn, I'm gonna put us in range for you to fire at them!"

"Okay!" Finn yelled from his place. In less than a minute, they were behind Poe and his three pursuers. Finn already knew what to do, and he destroyed them fighters with three perfect shots.

"Thanks for that!" Poe said. "Those were the last three. We won."

Rey sighed with relief, as Chewie gently tapped her shoulder and growled. "Good job, Chewie."

Indeed, she had survived her first big fight.


	7. The spy

Back in base, Rey was surprised to see that the First Order troops hadn't caused as much devastation as she first thought. Some buildings had been damaged, they had lost numerous X-Wings and there had been many casualties, but it wasn't as terrible as Rey expected. Still, there was a lot of damage control to be done.

"We were very lucky," Rey said to General Organa when she reunited with her back in the command center. "We managed to get rid of them, but they'll strike again unless we do something."

"I hope that, with this, the other officers will finally listen to you and relocate the base," Finn said, with concern. "The First Order knows we are here, and now they are aware of how many troops we have, and ships. Most important of all, they know our weak spots."

"I know, and I couldn't agree more. The longer we stay here, the more we put all of us in danger," Leia said, visibly exhausted but as calmed as always. "I will call for an emergency meeting. Meanwhile you guys should go and rest, it's been quite a long day. Specially for you, Rey."

They both nodded and left the command center, but they weren't tired. Instead of heading to the dormitories, they went back to the _Falcon_. It was the only place they could talk without being heard, and Rey had a lot of things to say to her old friend.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she told Finn as soon as they entered the _Falcon_.

"About what?" Finn asked, confused.

"About this attack. Isn't it weird that on the same day I came back from Anch-To, the First Order decided to attack us? It can't be a coincidence."

"I... hadn't thought of that. Do you think they are spying on us?"

"I don't have any proof, but everything fits. Think about it. Something isn't right, Finn."

Finn leaned back on his seat, immersed in thought.

"So, the First Order is after you?"

"Not the First Order, but Kylo Ren," she said, and the bare mention of his name sent shivers down her spine. "I can assure you his first priority is to eliminate me, the sooner the better."

"But that would mean he is aware you have become stronger. That isn't possible, is it?"

"Perhaps he feels it, the same way I can feel he has become stronger as well. If I can do it, so does he," she said, with concern.

In that moment, Rey heard someone approaching. She and Finn turned and saw Poe standing right behind them, still in his pilot uniform.

"Rey, Finn. I've been looking for you guys everywhere!" He exclaimed as soon as he spotted them. "The General told me you had gone to rest, but I didn't find you in the dormitories. What are you doing here?"

Rey moved in her seat, uncomfortable. She liked Poe, and she knew the General –and Finn– trusted him, but she was unsure of how he would react to her theory that one of his colleagues was spying on them. She looked at Finn, and she noticed her friend was thinking the same thing.

"We were just catching up," Rey answered.

"Oh. Well, I better be going then," Poe said, and walked toward the door. Finn looked at her, as if he were trying to reassure her the pilot could be trusted. She nodded with approval, and stood up from her chair to follow him.

"Poe, wait," she stopped him before he could exit the ship. "Can you keep a secret?"

He looked at her with curiosity. "Is something wrong?"

"Can you keep a secret?" She insisted.

"Yeah, of course."

They went back to the cockpit and Rey and Finn quickly explained their theory to Poe, who carefully listened to the two friends. When they were done, the young pilot seemed as shocked as Finn was when Rey shared her suspicions with him. However, for what she could tell, Poe had already thought something similar himself.

"Okay, so this 'spy' must have informed Ren of your presence, and he sent those troops to attack the base." Poe said, putting his mind to work. "But he didn't come, so I'm guessing he either wanted them to capture you or he was trying to confirm what his spy told him. I don't think he expected you to die on the hands of a bunch of stormtroopers, given the fact that he knows they are no match for your abilities."

"Maybe he just wanted to find out if the Resistance is strong enough to survive a surprise attack of that magnitude. If that's the case, those troopers were just sitting ducks."

"Finn has a point," Rey said. "Ren is impulsive by nature, but maybe he learnt from his past mistakes and has become more precautious. He was testing us with that ambush, because he is planning on launching an even bigger offensive."

"We need to tell the General right away. If what you are saying is true, we are in some serious trouble."

"You are right, Poe, but what about the spy? We have to find him, otherwise he will keep leaking valuable information to Ren and the First Order."

"Hmm, maybe we shouldn't worry about the spy so much," Poe answered, as he stroke his beard. "Ren already got what he wanted from him, he's gonna get rid of him first chance he gets."

"I disagree; I think it would be better if we knew who it is. We must stop him, and find out what kind of information he has shared with Ren," Rey said, and stood up from her seat. Then, she looked directly at Poe. "Will you help us find him?"

Rey knew Poe believed them, and that he would help them find the spy at any cost. However, she still felt the urge to get a verbal confirmation from him.

"Of course I will," he said, and stood up as well. "As a matter of fact, I even have a suspect."

"Who?" Rey and Finn asked in unison.

"Colonel Bruss, of course."

* * *

"I thought his family fought for the Rebellion during the Civil War. Wasn't his mother a friend of the General?"

"They did, Finn, but I'm telling you, there's something really weird about Bruss. The way he is always trying to sabotage the General is very suspicious, and his position provides lots of confidential information he could easily share with Ren. I don't know how I didn't think of that before."

The three friends were walking through the hangars in a hurry. Rey and Finn walked behind Poe, who was taking them to Bruss' dormitory. It was getting dark, but most of the people who lived and worked in the base were still outside, repairing the damaged ships or training in the grounds.

"I'm still confused as to how are we gonna get him to confess."

"We'll think of something."

"That's sounds like a plan," Rey said, as she and Finn struggled to keep up with Poe.

"Actually," Poe said, as he suddenly stopped out of nowhere and almost made Rey and Finn crash into him. "When we ask him, you are the one who's gonna tell us if he's telling the truth or not."

"Me?" Rey asked, with shock.

"Yeah, you."

"What makes you think I can read minds?"

"When I was Ren's prisoner, somehow he managed to look into my mind," Poe said, and a trace of anger covered his face. "He got information nobody else could get. If he can do it, so can you; you are more powerful than him."

"I know what you are talking about, he did it to me as well, but I don't think it's a good idea," Rey said, and shook her head. "It's practically torture. Besides, what if he's innocent?"

"I'm not asking you to torture him or to force him to confess, like Ren did with us. I just want you to look into his mind to see if he's telling lies."

"I don't know, Poe. I—"

He put his hands on her shoulders, and looked directly into her eyes. Rey liked Poe enough to allow him to touch her, otherwise he would be a dead man. "Look, this guy put all of us in danger today. You said it yourself, we must stop him before he leaks any more information to Ren and the First Order. The Resistance depends on this."

Rey weighed on his words.

"Please," he insisted.

She sighed in defeat. "Okay."

* * *

The dormitories consisted of four tall buildings made of concrete, all connected on the inside by a series of tunnels and stairs. Poe took them to the 5th floor and onto a wide hallway with a few doors on each side.

"This is the VIP section," Poe explained, as they kept walking. "Most of the commanders and high-ranked officers sleep in this part of the Base."

"What about the General?" Rey asked.

"She sleeps on the other side of the hallway," he answered, and pointed behind them. "Last door on the right. Come on, we are getting closer."

"For how long have you known this guy?"

"Five years, more or less. I have never liked him for a minute."

In that moment one of the rooms in front of them suddenly opened, and a man came out from it.

"Dameron! What a surprise to see you," he said as soon as he saw Poe.

"Colonel Bruss," Poe greeted him out of mere courtesy. Bruss smiled at them, although it seemed more like a malicious grin. Rey finally understood what Poe meant when he said Bruss gave him the creeps. He wasn't very tall, perhaps a few inches taller than the pilot, and he wasn't built either. He had white skin, short, brown hair, and grey eyes. Rey noticed he was missing his left thumb and index, and she thought maybe he had lost them at war.

"What brings you here at this time of night?"

"We came to talk to you."

Bruss ross an eyebrow, with suspicion. "What are you up to, Dameron? Be careful, one more strike and I'll get you suspended."

"We are not up to anything, Colonel," Finn quickly stood up for his friend. "We just want to ask you something."

"Well, hurry up; I have things to do."

Rey and Finn anxiously looked at Poe, who was defiantly staring at Bruss.

"Have you been leaking confidential information from the base to the First Order?"

Bruss bursted out laughing, clearly mocking Poe. "That's a very serious accusation, Dameron. What evidence do you have?"

"Oh, none at all," Poe answered, with sarcasm. "It's just I think it's too much of a coincidence that, on the same day Rey comes back, we suffer a surprise attack!"

"What the hell does that have to do with me?"

"Don't be a hypocrite Bruss, you have been sabotaging the General for a long time. You are capable of selling her off to the First Order, I don't doubt it for a second."

Suddenly, the smile disappeared from Bruss' face, and was replaced by an expression of anger. "How dare you accuse me of something like that, Dameron? Who do you think you are?"

"If you have nothing to hide, you won't have a problem answering Poe's question," Finn smartly pointed out. "Have you been leaking information?"

Bruss looked at him, then at Poe, and back at Finn. "Of course not. I would never betray the Resistance _and_ General Organa. She's like a mother to me!"

Poe turned to face Rey. "What do you say, is he telling the truth?"

Bruss seemed to be very confused by Poe's words. "What does she have to do with all this?"

"Rey?" Poe insisted.

Rey took a deep breath, and looked directly into the young man's eyes. Bruss stared back at her, defiant. She wasn't sure of what she was supposed to do to obtain information out of his head, so she simply tried to concentrate as hard as she could.

At first, she couldn't sense anything estrange. Not a single alteration, not a disturbance of any kind. However, he wasn't trying to resist her, so she didn't stop. After a few seconds, she felt something. She didn't know how to describe it; it was like a shiver coming out from Bruss' deepest interior. Then, she knew.

"He's lying," she claimed.

"I'm not!" He said, trying to defend himself.

"Oh, you are. I can feel it." Rey said, triumphant.

"Don't try to fool Rey, Colonel. She will outsmart you," Finn reassured him, with a smile.

"Your little Jedi trick doesn't prove anything, miss," Bruss said, in a darker tone. "You don't have any tangible evidence. Tell me, how are you going to demonstrate to the General that your suspicions are 'correct'?"

"Well, you are forgetting the General is Force sensitive. She can find out on her own if you are lying or not," Poe quickly pointed out. "She doesn't depend on Rey's word on that matter."

Bruss went pale, and the shiver Rey had felt suddenly increased. Now, she could practically feel his heart beating like crazy. He menacingly approached Rey.

"Just because you trained with Skywalker for a few days you think you are very powerful," he menacingly approached Rey, "and because you are Organa's favorite no one will ever touch you, don't you? Well, I'm gonna tell you a little something," his face was now a few inches away from Rey's. "You are not safe. Not here, not in any place of the galaxy. And neither are your friends."

He rose his hand in an attempt to touch her face. Unfortunately for him, Rey foresaw his intentions. She pushed his hand away and ignited her lightsaber, and pointed the blue blade at his throat.

"If you _ever_ try to touch me again, I will kill you."

"Are you threatening me?"

"It's not a threat, it's a warning."

A mocking grin appeared on his face. "You, a scavenger with no family, who has no one in this world?"

"She has us!" Finn exclaimed.

"Oh, nice. A useless, former trooper and an arrogant pilot."

She felt her body fill up with rage, and moved her lightsaber closer to Bruss' neck. A part of her wanted to slice his throat in that exact moment. However, she concentrated all her efforts into controlling her anger.

"You won't get away with this, Bruss. I'm just telling you, the General will get the truth out of you. She won't touch her heart, neither will care who you are. They'll accuse you of high treason and you'll be executed, and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

He looked at her with hate in his eyes.

"Kylo Ren will destroy you, just like he destroyed Solo."

Then, with a single punch, she knocked him unconscious.


	8. More enemies than friends

"What the…" Finn exclaimed, alarmed by Rey's violent outburst.

"Wow, what a punch!" Poe said, with enthusiasm. "Nice one, Rey."

Rey didn't say a word. Shocked by what she had done, she couldn't take her eyes off the unconscious Bruss.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," she said, her voice shaking because of the rage. "I don't know what happened, I-I lost control."

"Don't apologize, he had it coming," Poe said, as he kneeled beside the Colonel. "That was one hell of a blow, he is completely knocked out."

"Rey is extremely strong."

"I can see. Remind me to never make her angry."

"Will she get in trouble?" An anxious Finn asked the pilot.

"I don't think so. Bruss threatened her, she was defending herself; we all saw it."

"Yeah, but it wasn't right. I shouldn't have punched him," she said, and shook her head.

"Relax, Rey, he's going to be okay. At least for now," Poe said, as he stood up.

"Now what?" Finn asked.

"We call the General, tell her what happened. Give her time to process the news and decide how she's going to proceed."

"What do you think will happen to him?" Rey asked.

"Well, like you accurately predicted before, they'll interrogate him and charge him with high treason. He'll be sentenced to death, for sure."

"At least the leaks will stop. That's a good thing, right?" Finn said.

"Naturally, although we don't know what kind of information he has shared with the First Order."

"Or if there are other spies," Rey added, with concern.

"That's a possibility, but let's go one step at a time. I'm gonna go find the General. You stay here and watch him closely. If he wakes up and tries to escape, you hit him with that big stick you carry on your back."

"Okay," Rey said, and Poe quickly walked away, leaving her and Finn with the unconscious Colonel.

* * *

Poe walked through the large corridors of the building, looking for Leia. He finally ran into her in the stairs, the middle-aged woman apparently on her way to her dormitory.

"General Organa, a word?"

She seemed tired, and not in the mood for a midnight chat. "Can't it wait for tomorrow, Poe?" She said, as she continued walking with Poe beside her. "It's been a really long day and I don't want to be anywhere else but in my bed."

"I wish it could wait, General, but it's really important. It's about Colonel Bruss."

"What has he done this time?"

"You are not going to like it. Finn, Rey and I found out he is a spy for the First Order. He has been leaking confidential information to them, and after Rey returned to the base, he alerted Kylo Ren of her presence."

If surprised, Leia didn't show it. She just stopped walking and stared at Poe, and the young pilot wondered what thoughts were crossing the woman's mind. "How did you find out?"

"If you don't mind, General, I prefer to discuss the details later. Right now, I need you to come with me."

"Where?"

"To see for yourself that what I'm telling you is true."

* * *

"Do you really think there might be other spies?" Finn asked Rey, as they waited for Poe to return.

"I don't know. Maybe," she answered. "But even if Bruss is the only one, we still have to be very careful, Finn. I don't wanna behave like a paranoid, but in times like these, people switch loyalties really quickly. You and I have to keep covering each other's backs."

"I agree. Unfortunately for us, there's not a lot of people in which we can trust. The General, Chewie, Poe—"

"The droids, Master Luke, Maz Kanata," Rey completed her friend's sentence. "Who else?"

"I think that covers it."

"So it's fair to say we have far more enemies than we have friends."

"Definitely."

"Well then, another good reason to keep our eyes open."

They heard someone approaching. When they turned, they saw Poe and the General walking toward them, in a hurry. The General immediately set her eyes in Bruss, who was still lying on the ground.

"Who attacked him?"

"Why do you think he was attacked?" Finn asked.

"Are you telling me he just fainted in the middle of the hall?" Leia said, and rose an eyebrow. Rey took a deep breath.

"It was me, I knocked him unconscious."

"I assume you had a very good reason for doing it."

"Bruss threatened her, General," Poe intervened. "Rey was only defending herself."

"It's true, believe us," Finn added. "If you had heard what he said, you would have punched him, too."

"What did he say to you?" Leia asked Rey. The young girl pressed her lips together into a thin line.

"He said… He said I'm not safe. Not here, not in any place of the galaxy. And neither are my friends."

"I see," Leia simply said, in a way that reminded Rey of Luke.

"There's more: he also said Kylo Ren would destroy me, just like destroyed Han."

Leia didn't say anything. Even though she was trying her best to dissimulate her pain at the mention of her late husband's name, Rey could still feel it through the Force.

"First things first. Someone please explain me what happened here."

Poe and Finn looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Rey, however, was the first to talk.

"After the attack, I began suspecting there was a spy in the base. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that on the same day I came back from Ahch-To, the First Order decided to launch a surprise ambush. I shared my suspicions with Finn and Poe, and they agreed with me. We think the First Order might be planning an even bigger offensive, and today's attack was just a distraction. Poe suspected Bruss of being the spy, so we came here to confront him."

"That's not how we run things here, Poe. You know that better than anyone else," Leia reprehended Poe.

"I know, General, but there was no time to waste. We had to act quickly," Poe defended himself.

"When we found Bruss, we asked him directly if he had leaked information to the First Order. Obviously, he denied it," Rey said, continuing with her story. "So I used the Force to look into his mind, and I discovered he was lying to us. That's when he started threatening me, so I punched him."

Leia looked at the three friends, and Rey couldn't decide if there were traces of severity or understanding in her stare.

Or maybe both.

"You have to believe us, General," Poe insisted. "I know it was wrong of us to try to find out the truth on our own, but we only did what we thought was best for the Resistance."

"I believe you, Poe," she reassured him. "I don't doubt it for a second. Even though I don't approve the fact that you three confronted him alone, I'm glad you stopped him."

"How are you going to proceed?" Finn asked her.

"There has to be a formal interrogation, and a trial. It won't be easy; Bruss has a lot of friends, and they are not going to believe he is a spy."

"That's what the interrogation is for, isn't it? For him to confess."

"Yes, Finn, but there are a lot of things that can still go wrong."

"Like what?"

Leia didn't answer, but for some reason Rey couldn't explain, she shared the General's fear.


	9. The answer you are looking for

**A/N: Hello! I know, I know, I'm sorry I abandoned you for more than a year, but I lost my inspiration for this fic and, although I tried to continue it, I got stuck and I couldn't write. I've had the whole story figured out from the beginning, but I wasn't inspired. Fortunately, last week I hosted a Star Wars marathon and it came back! :D I will make it up to you, I promise. I'm on vacation right now and I have free time, so I will reward you for your patience.** **Thanks again for waiting for me and for reading!**

* * *

 _She didn't know where she was. The room was dark and there was a metallic odor in the air, and breathing was getting more and more difficult with the second. She remained still, paying close attention to any noise that would give her a clue of where she was._

 _How did I get here?_ _Rey kept asking herself, confused. And most importantly, how do I get out?_

 _She realized she was back in the small freighter she had seen in her dreams. Her head hurt terribly and she had some cuts in her hands. A sudden rush of fear and hopelessness invaded her, and she felt as if something very valuable had been taken away from her. She ran her fingers though her clothes, and she noticed the fabric was ripped and dirty. She heard voices from the cockpit, but they sounded too far away and she was unable to understand what they were saying. She walked to the door and she came across a slug-like figure, who violently slapped her and left her with a bruise on her cheek. A human male yelled and punched the creature that had hit Rey, but she couldn't see his face._

 _Suddenly, the whole room shook violently and she fell to the ground._

 _Now she was inside Starkiller Base on the night it was destroyed, only this time Finn wasn't beside her. Then, in the distance, a lightsaber was ignited. Thanks to the cracked sound it made, she immediately recognized the weapon as the one that belonged to Kylo Ren, the same one she destroyed during their duel. She turned, only to witness the death of Han Solo at the hands of his own son. She screamed and ran toward them, trying to stop Ren._

* * *

She was woken up by some insistent knocks on her door.

Disoriented, Rey looked around. She was in the room that had been assigned to her, and through the small window she could see it was morning already. She tried to calm herself before getting to her feet. She stumbled to the door and, when she opened it, she saw Poe on the other side. The pilot looked at her from head to toe.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, although she knew her aspect said otherwise. She was breathing heavily and sweat covered her face. She tried to clean some sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "I was sleeping and I had a nightmare, that's all. What's wrong?"

Poe didn't seem convinced with her answer, but apparently he had something very important to tell her. "It's Bruss, he is dead. He hung himself in his cell during the night."

Rey was shocked to hear the news. "Oh, no. That is terrible," she said, as she sat on the edge of her bed.

"It's really unfortunate. He died before he could be interrogated, and now we'll never find out whom he was working with."

"Isn't it obvious it was Ren?"

"It is for us, but we don't have any evidence."

Rey clenched her fists, with impotence. "The General must be very upset."

"She is. As a matter of fact, that's why I'm here. She asked me to come to tell you that the other officers have finally agreed to relocate the base. We'll start evacuation today, and we expect it to be complete in a few days."

"Well, at least something good came from this," she sighed. "I'll go talk to her later."

Poe nodded. He looked at Rey with concern. "Rey, are you sure you are okay? You seem distressed."

"I told you, Poe, I had a nightmare. I've always had very realistic dreams, and this one was particularly stressful. I'm _okay_."

"Well, if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. All of us here in the Resistance are like family, and you are one of us now."

For Rey, who had never had a family of her own, Poe's words meant more than she could put into words. "Thank you, Poe. I mean it," she said, and she smiled. He smiled back at her, the same way he did when they first met.

"I have to go, but I'll see you around."

"See you around."

* * *

After Poe's visit Rey went looking for the General at the command center. She still hadn't recovered from her vision, but she thought it would be better for her to set her mind on other things.

Just like Poe had told her, people were starting to evacuate the base and the planet. Low-ranked officers, assistants and operators were busy gathering their belongings and dismantling all the equipment, and Rey could perceive a trace of fear and uncertainty in their eyes.

"I'm sorry, where's General Organa?" She asked Lieutenant Connix. The young officer was arguing with a couple of pilots.

"She is in the intelligence room."

Rey walked through the sophisticated machines and panels without paying much attention to the chaos that surrounded her. She knocked before entering the room, as she didn't want to interrupt the General in case she was in the middle of something important.

"Yes?"

"Hello. Am I interrupting?" Rey asked as she peered through the door.

"Not at all, Rey. Please, come in."

"Thanks," Rey said, and she entered the room. She was surprised to see the General was alone. She seemed worried and a bit concerned, but there was also a certain determination in her stare Rey had never seen before. "I thought you were occupied."

"I like to hide in here when I need time to think. I always think better when I'm on my own."

"Me too."

To be honest, Rey hadn't had much of a choice. She had been on her own for most of her life.

"I suppose you are here because Poe told you about Bruss."

"He did. I'm very sorry General, I imagine you must feel very upset."

Leia sighed. "I do, but I'm afraid we have no time for sorrows. As Poe surely told you, we are in the middle of evacuating the base. There's no time to lose."

"I understand, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm ready to help in any way I can."

"I know, and I thank you for that. But for now, the best thing you can do is go and get your things together, Rey. We'll all be leaving soon."

"Don't worry about that, General, I left most of my belongings in Jakku. The only real possessions I have are my quarterstaff, my bag with my tools and the lightsaber."

For a moment, Rey wondered what had happened to the things she was forced to leave behind in Jakku. The ones she missed the most were her doll, which had been her only toy growing up, her helmet, which had helped her fantasize about a life as a pilot far away from the desert planet, and her speeder, which she had built by herself and gave her the freedom to go wherever she wanted in Jakku. The other scavengers had probably dismantled the old AT-AT walker in which she lived for more than ten years, and chances were one of them had sold her speeder's parts to Unkar Plutt for food portions.

"In that case, I just want you to be prepared to leave at any second."

"I will. Are we relocating to Rori after all?"

"No, we will go to Dantooine."

"Dantooine? That's on the other side of the galaxy." Rey hadn't traveled much, but she had studied maps of the galaxy on the computer display she'd scavenged from a BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter that crashed on Jakku.

"Precisely. I'm familiar with the planet, a Rebel base once stood there. It's been more than thirty years, but the buildings are in good shape. A little maintenance and it will be as good as new."

"But if there used to be a Rebel base there, won't the First Order come looking for us?"

"Like you said, Dantooine is on the other side of the galaxy, and it has always been a low-profile planet. It won't be easy for the First Order to find us there after what happened with Starkiller base. I doubt finding and attacking us again is their first priority right now."

"Well, if you are so sure, I'll trust you."

The General set her brown eyes on hers, and there was something about her stare that made Rey think she could read her mind.

"How are you feeling, Rey?"

"Fine," she lied. "A little tired because of everything that has happened in the last couple of days, but nothing serious. Why do ask?"

"Look, I'm not a Jedi like my brother, but I was trained in the Force by him. I sense something is worrying you, deeply. What is it?"

Rey didn't know if she should tell the General about her vision. She was a busy woman and already had a lot of things in her mind.

"It's nothing, General. What happens to me is not important."

"It is to me," she said, with severity. "Tell me, what's troubling you?"

Still, she felt the need to share her concerns with her. In Luke's absence, perhaps she could help her.

"I had a dream last night."

"What kind of dream?"

"A vision. I had a similar one a few days ago, but this one felt even more real."

"What was it about?"

"I'm inside a ship that is dark and musty. I have no idea how I got there, I just have a strong feeling that I should be someplace else. I'm injured, although it's not bad. I have a terrible headache and my clothes are ripped and dirty. I'm scared and I feel… hopeless. Desperate. _Cold_."

"Cold?"

"As if someone had drained the blood from my veins."

"Was someone else with you, or were you alone?"

"There was a slug-like creature and a human male. In my first dream, I discovered the human was the ship's pilot, and the slug was the co-pilot. In the second dream the slug slapped me and the human punched him, as if he were punishing him for hitting me. That's all I can remember."

The General stroke her chin. Rey intentionally chose not to tell her she had seen Han and Ren, because she knew it was a delicate topic for her and she didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"General, why do you think I'm having these dreams?"

"Why do you?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know if I'm finally starting to remember things about my past, or if it's nothing more than a dream. Both things scare me quite a lot."

"Did you tell Luke about this?"

"Yes. He said I should be careful, that I shouldn't allow these visions to torment me. That, even if my memory is coming back and those things really happened to me, there's nothing I can do to change my past."

Leia began walking in circles, pensive. "I agree with Luke on that, but I also believe these 'dreams', these 'visions' are not random. They can't be."

"I don't understand."

"You'll see, the Force talks to us through visions, Rey. It leaves us messages for us to decipher. To me, it seems as if the Force is trying to tell you something."

"What?"

"I'm afraid I don't know. Nobody knows you better than yourself, only you can answer that question. Besides, the Force speaks differently to you than it does to me, than it does to Luke."

"But what am I supposed to do now?"

"I suggest you try to reach the core of your visions."

"Like… analyze them?"

"Yes. When you do, you'll find the answer you are looking for."

Rey weighed on her words. It was a different answer than the one Luke had given her, one she wasn't expecting.

"Okay. I'll do it."

"But I must warn you to do it carefully, Rey. Some things might be too hard to handle if you are not ready."

"I'll be careful, General. I promise."

"I trust you," she gave her one of her warm smiles.

"Well, I should go now. I'm going to find Finn and see if there's something I can help him with," she said, as she got to her feet.

"Very well. If there's anything else you need, please let me know."

"I will. And thank you for your advice, General. I really needed it."

"It was nothing."


	10. Obsolete fighters

A few days later, the Resistance relocated to Dantooine. Rey found it to be a beautiful and wonderful planet filled with forests and lakes, very much like Takodana. The skies were clear and the temperature was exquisite, with fresh mornings and warm nights. The trees were tall and majestic, and the water from the lakes was crystal clear. For someone as her, who had grown up in a desert planet, a place like Dantooine was a complete paradise.

"Wait until you visit Yavin 4," Poe had told her and Finn the day they arrived, as they took a walk around the newly established base. "The whole planet is covered with jungles and forests. Climate is nice, it rains most days but surprisingly it doesn't get too humid. One day I'll take you two there, after this whole thing is done."

Rey spent her first days in Dantooine exploring the surroundings and getting used to her new home. She soon found out there wasn't much she could do, except helping establish the new base and practicing her lightsaber and Force skills. Basically, she and everyone in the Resistance were waiting for something to happen, preparing themselves for the next fight. In the meantime, Rey was looking for something to distract herself with, something that would help her drift her mind away from her visions, which kept invading her dreams and were preventing her from sleeping.

* * *

Poe Dameron loved flying. Everyone who knew him said he was born to be around ships, soaring the skies looking for adventures. As a matter of fact, when he was young, there was a time when he thought flying from one point of the galaxy to the other was how he would spend the rest of his life. However, destiny took him in another direction, but he didn't have any regrets. The Resistance was full of people like him, young men and women eager to prove themselves—and others—that they were fierce warriors and noble soldiers, soldiers who were fighting for what they believed was right and were willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause, a cause that was bigger than any of them. Even if at the moment Poe wasn't on his X-wing taking down TIE fighters, he enjoyed hanging around the base with his colleagues, cleaning and building new ships and training those who had recently joined the Resistance after what happened with Hosnian Prime.

Poe was on his way back to the hangar after a training session when he spotted Rey checking out his Black One fighter alongside BB-8.

"Hi, Rey. Can I help you?"

"Hello Poe, Beebee-Ate was just showing me your ship. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all. What do you think of it?"

"It's a wonderful ship, and it seems very comfortable."

"Thank you. Finn told me you are quite a good pilot." A beep from the droid made him laugh. "Oh, okay. According to Bee-bee Ate, you are _more_ than a good pilot. An excellent one, maybe?"

Rey smiled and gently tapped the droid on his head. "It's so good to see this little guy again, the two of us went through a lot of things together. Right Beebee-Ate?" A responsive beep acknowledged her statement.

"Careful buddy, or I might get jealous. Although now that I think about it, I don't think I ever thanked you for saving him and making sure he got to D'Qar in one piece."

"Technically it wasn't me who got him to D'Qar, it was Finn and Han."

"But if it hadn't been for you, the First Order would've captured him in Jakku. So, thank you," he said, and he bowed his head. Another beep from the droid, who thanked her as well.

"It was my pleasure. If I hadn't done it, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"So, for how long have you been a pilot?"

"Since I was thirteen years old. I learned to fly using an Imperial simulator I scavenged from a crashed Superstar Destroyer."

 _She's practically a self-taught pilot. Not bad._

"What kind of ships have you flown? Besides the Falcon, of course."

"Quadjumpers and speeders mostly, nothing big. There wasn't much I could fly in Jakku, nor did I have the chance to fly a lot until I got my hands on the Falcon."

"You enjoy flying?"

"Yes, I do. It was the only thing that gave me a sense of freedom when I was in Jakku." She shook her head, as if trying to distract herself from thinking of her home world. "Tell me, what's this baby's maximum speed?"

"With me? Over one thousand one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour," he said, with pride.

"Hmm, not bad."

" _Not bad?_ Hey, most people can't get them over one thousand one hundred and then," he said, trying not to sound too offended.

"Oh, I don't doubt it, and I didn't mean to question your skills. It's just old Imperial TIE fighters could get a maximum speed of one thousand two hundred kilometers per hour, and that was more than thirty years ago. I imagine the First Order made some improvements to their new fighters so they can easily get over one thousand three hundred. That means it's highly probably Resistance fighters are obsolete compared to those of the First Order."

Poe sighed, remembering the time he flew a TIE fighter while trying to escape from the First Order. He knew better than anybody else than those were really fast ships, faster than Resistance X-wings.

"I know, and I've talked to the General about it. Unfortunately, after what happened with Hosnian Prime and the New Republic's fleet, I'm afraid we simply don't have the means to improve our ships."

"Well, I could help you with that," Rey said. "I'm a mechanic too, and I repaired and modified many ships when I was in Jakku. I think there's a lot we can do with what we have here in the base, we could start with improving the ships' speed and, eventually, we could move forward with armament and even shield capacity."

Poe folded his arms across his chest, visibly impressed. "I didn't know you were a mechanic."

"As a scavenger I had to learn many things if I wanted to survive."

 _This girl is full of surprises._

"So let me get this straight. You are a skilled pilot, a talented mechanic, a polyglot _and_ a Force user?"

Rey shrugged. "I guess."

"My, my, is there anything you can't do?" He said, trying not to show how captivated he was by Rey's many abilities.

"Lots of things, you'd be surprised. The only thing I'm skilled at is surviving, Poe. Make no mistake."

"Alongside many other things." Beebee-Ate showed he agreed with him with an enthusiastic beep.

"So, are we going to do this?"

"Of course! I'll gather some pilots so we get started as soon as possible."


	11. Greer

That afternoon, Rey and Finn met Poe in the hangar. He was accompanied by two men and a woman, the three of them dressed as pilots. One of the men was tall and had dark brown hair and beard, while the other one was a bit shorter and had blond hair, with deep blue eyes. The woman had ticked black hair which hung loose down her back, full lips, and deep coppery skin. Rey noticed she was very pretty.

She was the first to hold out her hand to Rey. "I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Greer Sonnel, the General's assistant."

Rey shook Greer's hand. "I'm Rey, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Everyone in the Resistance knows who you are, Rey," Greer said, with a smile. She gestured at the bearded man. "This is Temmin Wexley, but we all call him 'Snap'. He is a very skilled mechanic and knows a thing or two about junk dealing."

"My type of man." Rey shook his hand. "Wait, I remember you. You were there when the map was revealed weren't you?"

Snap bowed his head. "I was, indeed. It's good to see you again, Rey."

"And this is Joph Seastriker, a fellow pilot." The blond man stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you, Joph."

"Nice to meet you too, Rey," he said, and he also shook her hand. "You left Poe quite amazed with your abilities, he can't stop talking about—" he was quickly silenced by Poe patting him on one shoulder.

"All right, all right. Less talking and more action, shall we? Let's get to work."

Rey spent the next twenty minutes explaining to the others what kind of work they would be doing during the rest of the afternoon. After she solved their doubts they began working on their respective fighters, with Finn and Poe working on the latter's X-wing and Joph and Snap working separately. As Greer didn't have an X-wing of her own, she and Rey teamed up to work on another ship that was parked in the hangars, seemly without an owner.

"So besides being the General's assistant you are a pilot, too?" Rey asked her, as they both examined the fighter's main engine. Greer nodded. "That sounds like an odd combination."

"It actually is, although I don't fly much these days. My work tends to be more administrative oriented."

"Why don't you?"

"Well…" Greer said, slightly uncomfortable. "Let's say my health prevents me from flying as much as I'd like to."

"Oh, I'm sorry I asked."

"Don't worry, it's okay," Greer reassured her. "One day I'll tell you about my medical condition."

Rey realized that was Greer's way of telling her she wasn't ready to discuss her health issues with a person she had just met and that she wanted to change the subject, so she went back to scrutinizing the back of the ship before setting to work. With her bare hands she pulled some cables to remove the hyperdrive from its place, something she had done many times at the ships' graveyard.

"This should do the trick," she said, with the hyperdrive on her hands.

"Impressive, you didn't even use the tools."

"I have been doing this my entire life. If I didn't scavenge, I didn't eat; simple as that."

"Well, like I said, it's very impressive. I see Poe didn't exaggerate about your skills."

Rey forced a smile. "Thank you," she said, as she cleaned the hyperdrive. There was a moment of silence between the two women.

"You met Han Solo, didn't you?" Greer asked her out of nowhere, and the question took Rey by surprise. She wasn't expecting Han to pop into their conversation, and she found herself lost for words.

"I… I did, yes. For a little while," she said, trying to sound as casual as she could.

"He was my mentor, you know? Back when I was a professional racer. After I retired, he got me the job with General Organa. He was like a second father to me." Suddenly, Greer's expression turned grim. "Sometimes I can't believe he is gone."

"Happens to me, too." Rey hadn't talked to anyone except Luke about her feelings toward Han's death, but for some reason she felt the need to open up to Greer. "You know, I only knew him for a few days, but to me it was as if I had known him my entire life."

Greer smiled. "Captain Solo had that effect on people. He always made quite the impression on everyone who met him."

 _So I wasn't the only one who felt that connection._

"Despite what a lot of people thought and said, he was a good man," Greer continued. "He was brave and loyal, and always took care of those he loved."

In that moment, Rey saw her opportunity to have some of her longtime questions answered.

"Why weren't he and the General together? Why was he dealing with Rathars and getting into trouble with space gangs instead of fighting with the Resistance?"

"They grew apart after what happened with their son; however, they had been living separate lives years before that."

"Why?"

Greer shrugged. "I have no idea, but I guess they realized they weren't very compatible after all. Before disappearing, Captain Solo used to travel all around the galaxy mentoring pilots and supervising races, and he only went back to Hosnian Prime for short periods of time. General Organa, on the other hand, was very busy being a senator and doing her best to ensure the New Republic would survive. No matter how much she wanted to, her sense of duty prevented her from leaving the Senate and joining Captain Solo for a life of adventure." Greer sighed. "It's a pity, you know? You could tell they loved each other very much. I guess love wasn't enough."

 _How tragic_ , Rey thought. _If they loved each other as much as Greer says, it must have been terrible to live apart. And it must've been even more terrible for the General to find out their own son murdered him._

She shook her head. Thinking of Han's death always saddened her heart.

"How long have you been working for the General?" She asked Greer to change the subject.

"Almost nine years."

"Wow. You must really know her, then."

Greer chucked. "I doubt there's a creature in this galaxy that has gotten to _really_ know her. General Organa is very private, she always keeps to herself. You never know what she is truly thinking because she is very careful not to give away her thoughts or her feelings. I don't judge her, she has gone through so many difficult things in her life you can't blame her for not wanting to share every thought that crosses her mind."

There was something in the way Greer talked about the General that caught Rey's attention.

"You admire her a lot, don't you?"

"Who doesn't?" Greer said, with a sparkle in her eyes. "That's why we joined the Resistance in the first place, because we look up to her and we respect her. She is smart, brave, bold, resourceful, determined—a real leader, one that gives everything to the cause she is fighting for. Most of us had to give up something to be in this fight: family, friends, our homes. She values the sacrifices we had to make and she protects us. Most of the times she might look as if she's carrying the weight of the whole galaxy on her shoulders, and somehow she is. I know she is tired, I know she thinks about giving up—but she doesn't. She _keeps_ fighting. That's what I admire so much about her. We _all_ admire her, that's why we are here."

Greer's strong admiration and fierce loyalty to the General was something Rey had to admire. Although she was still young, her sense of responsibility and respect for the ideals of the Resistance were remarkable, and Rey had no doubt Greer and other pilots like her –probably Snap, Joph and Poe himself– would be willing to die for the cause if necessary.

 _What about me?_ She asked herself. _Would I be willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice so the galaxy can be free once and for all? Before discovering who I am, where I come from? Before reuniting with my family?_

* * *

 **A/N: For those of you who haven't read 'Bloodline', Greer and Joph are both characters from that book. Greer is Leia's chief of staff and pilots her personal ship, and Joph is a New Republic pilot. They are one of the Resistance's first members and, although they don't appear in TFA, I really liked them in 'Bloodline' and that's why I decided to include them :)**


	12. Anger and compassion

INTERLUDE

In a dark room a tall, cloaked man stands alone. He has long, black hair and a large scar crosses his face. He seems tense, deep in thought. His hands are clenched into tight fists, and they are shaking slightly. His eyes are closed, and inside his head, a voice. A deep, cold voice that he knows too well, the kind of voice that belongs to someone who doesn't tolerate when things go wrong.

"The girl's powers have significantly increased since the last time you saw her," the mysterious voice says. "She has become powerful, much more than you. If you were to face her in combat, you probably would not last much."

The cloaked man doesn't say anything. He is too concentrated, too tense to say a word, although he knows everything the voice says is true.

"The Force is strong with her, as both the Dark Side and the Light live inside her. Anger, hate and despair are emotions she feels every day, but her compassion, empathy and kind nature prevent her from fully embracing her darker feelings. She is very much like you when you were younger."

"I'm aware of that."

"Because of her immense power she could become a powerful ally; however, the Emperor and Lord Vader tried to seduce Skywalker and ended up underestimating his power, and that led to their deaths. We won't make the same mistake. Therefore, the girl _must_ die. And we shall do it soon, before she becomes even stronger."

The man holds his breath. "How it should be done?"

"The so-called Resistance is well hidden and we do not have any insight into their plans, not since Bruss was caught. We must find a way to get them out of hiding and into battle. That is when the girl will be vulnerable and you will be ready to attack."

"The Resistance won't let her fight, she is too valuable for them."

"It won't matter because the girl is a warrior, naturally drawn to battle. She longs for adventure and to get rid of all the boredom she endured in Jakku." A pause. "It is uncommon for a person who grew up in such harsh conditions to feel love and affection for others, but she does. She doesn't know it yet, but we will use that weakness to our advantage."

"If you believe it will work, then that's enough for me."

"Oh, it will. When the time comes you will use the information you possess against her. It won't matter how much she hates you and how much she wants to kill you; her compassion for you will be her undoing."

In that moment, Kylo Ren opened his eyes. "It shall be done as you wish, Supreme Leader."

* * *

 **A/N: I know this was a ridiculously short chapter but it really had to be this way. Next one will be longer :)**


End file.
